LONGMEADOW – The town of Longmeadow recently received two awards – one for its fiscal year 2017 (FY17) budget presentation and another for water fluoridation quality in the community.

Town Manager Stephen Crane told Reminder Publications the distinguished budgetary award was given to the town by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).

“This is the second year in a row we have been honored by the GFOA,” he added. “The GFOA has a set of best practices for budgeting that they have promoted as really a standard that communities should strive for and the key difference how municipalities traditionally prepare their budgets … is illustrating through goals, accomplishments, a detailed narrative about the number of employees, titles, the types of functions that departments perform, and then you include the tables that show the line item budgets.”

Crane said the award acknowledges that Longmeadow has adopted the GFOA’s best practices successfully and in doing so, “our budget document tells the story of the numbers.”

He added, “It’s not just a set of numbers; it’s a narrative that tells readers what those numbers mean and that’s an important thing for the community. And we’ve received great feedback on it. It’s a much more approachable document and people can really understand what they’re paying for when they pay their taxes.”

Crane said the town included a community profile, organizational charts, a budget narrative and director, and a calendar.

“You can kind of leaf through this thing,” he noted. “If you want to learn about revenues, you can go to the revenue section. If you want to know what the Fire Department’s budget is you go right to the Fire Department section.”

The Department of Public Works’ water and sewer division received a water fluoridation quality award for 2015 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Crane said.

“Fluoridation of drinking water has been a practice in the United States for 65 years,” he noted. “So, right now, 138 communities receive fluoride in their water – almost 75 percent of Massachusetts residents, but only 51 were recognized with this award.”

Crane said there are three key factors that determine whether a community receives the award, including adjusting the fluoride concentration in drinking water, achieving a monthly average fluoride level that’s the optimal range for the year, and documentation of fluoride levels.

Brittany Brown, director of the Office of Oral Health for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, stated in a letter to the town, that the “award recognizes your investment in ensuring that every resident of your community receives the benefit of good dental health.”